Interns clamor to get in the gov't game

President Barack Obama pledged during the campaign to “make government cool again.” It seems to be working.

Every summer, about 20,000 college students descend upon Washington for internships; roughly 6,000 of them occupy posts on Capitol Hill. But forces have coalesced this year to make for an intern summer like no other.

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Hill offices, federal agencies and political organizations across the spectrum of Washington report a surge in applicants and the numbers of interns they’ve taken on this summer. Not only that, but eager up-and-comers are increasingly willing to ply the dark, obscure corners of the federal government for summer employment.

A recent poll of interns conducted by The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars credits Obama for much of this: 65 percent of intern respondents were more interested in entering government this year because of him.

“The first year of any new administration is exciting for a lot of folks,” says Mike Smith, president of TWC, which had 17 percent more interns this year than last. “And it is because for most incoming presidents — if you’ve studied your history and political science — [the first year] is the biggest opportunity to get your agenda passed. Then it gets harder.”

Of course, the collapsed economy has a fairly big hand in all of this, as well.

A recent survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that fewer than 20 percent of 2009 college graduates are employed, a 6-point drop compared with the previous year. Meanwhile, in these tough times, NACE has found a greater interest among recent grads to try their luck in nonprofits or the government.

Smith has seen this play out with D.C. interns, who are steadily redirecting their focus toward internships with federal agencies. Smith says that his organization’s federal placements are up 35 percent from last summer.

“What we are seeing is a lot more interest in public service,” says Smith. “Students who in the past would have been on Wall Street are now interested in Pennsylvania Avenue. In part, that’s where they feel the jobs will be from a practical standpoint, but from a psychic-rewards standpoint, we are seeing a lot of students re-energized by the Obama campaign.”

Ross Seavey, a University of New Hampshire senior interning this summer at the Environmental Protection Agency, was initially interested in working at a nonprofit in Washington but, after the election, felt he had a better chance “to get more done” in a federal agency. That wasn’t always the prevailing sentiment among D.C.-bound college students, who have traditionally sought high-profile spots in the White House or on Capitol Hill.

“There is a growing number of people who want to be involved, and people are seeing the best way to get involved is not in nonprofit groups or lobbying firms but to actually get into the government,” says Seavey.

Even offices that were anticipating a rise in intern applicants have been surprised by how large it’s been. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office saw a 25 percent increase in intern applicants over last summer, and other Democratic congressional offices surveyed by POLITICO said they have experienced similar spikes. The White House had roughly 6,000 applicants for about 100 positions, a near sixfold increase from the Bush years. Many of the interns for Democratic offices or progressive organizations have had recent campaign experience, as well.